Faculty encouraged to nominate students for graduation awards

AAP recognizes outstanding work by UT-Houston Staff at LBJ Hospital

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recognized pediatricians and staff at the Medical School for their outstanding efforts in Safe and Healthy Beginnings 2007-2008. The goal of the groundbreaking project is to improve care given to newborn babies.

Nine nurseries and 13 pediatric clinics nationwide were chosen to take part in the pilot project.  The Harris County Hospital District’s Lyndon B. Johnson Pediatrics Clinic and Well Baby Nursery are two sites in the collaboration. The two key areas of the project are early detection of neonatal jaundice and breastfeeding support.

“Congratulations to our pediatric faculty at LBJ Hospital on the success of this pilot program. They are leading the way in quality improvement and innovation – and we can learn by their example,” said Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo, who also is the chair of the Department of Pediatrics.

The program participants included Dr. Laura Ferguson, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and medical director of the LBJ Well Baby Nursery; Dr. Lisa de Ybarrondo, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and LBJ Pediatrics Clinic director; Pat Hildebrand, certified pediatric nurse practitioner, and the nursing and lactation consultant staff at LBJ.

The program began last fall and is wrapping up. “We have collected almost all of our data.  Right now, we are still analyzing it and plan to issue a final report next month,” Ferguson said.

When the pilot project has finished, the AAP will use the information and tools developed for chart review and education to put together “toolkits” that other practices may use to improve quality of care nationwide. This data will also help develop future pilot projects for quality improvement in other areas of pediatric practice.

-M. McDonald

Molecular Basis of Infectious Diseases Retreat set for March 28

Sponsored by the Molecular Basis of Infectious Diseases Training Program and co-sponsored by the Center for Emerging and Re-Emerging Pathogens, UTHSC-Houston Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology, the Molecular Basis of Infectious Diseases retreat will be held 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. March 28.

The daylong, free event, which will be held at the Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology, is organized by Dr. Steven Norris, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Dr. Magnus Hook, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Institute of Biosciences & Technology.
 
All faculty, students, fellows (research or clinical) and staff interested in pathogenesis and infectious diseases in the Texas Medical Center, Rice University, University of Houston, UTMB, Texas A&M and other area institutions are welcome to attend the seminar, which is event designed to foster communication and collaboration among molecular pathogenesis researchers in the Southeast Texas area.

For more information and to register, see http://pathology.uth.tmc.edu/mbid/Retreat2008/

Interdisciplinary student teams to tackle elder abuse case

The Houston Geriatric Education Center presents the 2008 Interdisciplinary Student Team Competition in Elder Abuse at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 7. Two teams made up of 31 students from schools of dentistry, health information sciences, law, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, and social work representing the UT Health Science Center at Houston, Texas Woman’s University, and the University of Houston will compete in the first floor auditorium of the School of Nursing Building.

In two “rounds” each team will have an opportunity to question an expert panel about an actual elder abuse and mistreatment case. Each team will have time for a final team discussion privately before they present their final recommendations to the audience.  An interdisciplinary faculty will score the quality of their critical thinking and presentation skills and the winning team will be announced. A reception honoring the participants will follow the competition.

For additional information contact:  Kyler Godwin, research associate, Kyler.M.Godwin@uth.tmc.edu or at 713.500.9170, or see www.HoustonGEC.org.

Scene from the Rodeo

Department of Surgery senior financial analyst Cynthia Huehlefeld got to go back stage at the Clay Walker concert at the Houston Rodeo Friday night. Walker is a longtime supporter of the Medical School.